Bianca La Russa

Going out on top: Tony La Russa announces retirement

By cosa10 on | From cosa316.blogspot.com

Lastweek every indication was that Tony La Russa planned to return for his 17thseason as Cardinals manager and even today when the Cardinals announced a pressconference few people suspected it had anything to do with the manager.
Turnsout he’s decided to go out on top, with La Russa making the surprise retirementannouncement this morning.
LaRussa calls it quits just 35 wins away from passing John McGraw for secondplace on the all-time list behind Connie Mack, but the 67-year-old manager’splace in Cooperstown is plenty secure with a 2,728-2,365 (.536) record over 33seasons and World Series titles in 1989, 2006, and 2011.

==========

LaRussa revealed that he’s been thinking about retiring since August, but generalmanager John Mozeliak tried to talk him out of it. “I think this feels likeit’s time to end it. And it’ll be great for the Cardinals to refresh what’sgoing on with the field manager job. … Look in the mirror and I know if I cameback it would be for the wrong reasons.”
Regardinghis retirement plans, La Russa brought up possibly buying a minor-league teamand wondered if “the phone will ring” for another job in baseball.
LaRussa noted that Dick Vermeil, Bill Walsh, and Sparky Anderson regrettedretiring as quickly as they did, but said he’s been thinking about it for awhile and the experience of the playoff run never changed his feeling thatstepping down was the right thing. “If we won, if we lost, it wasn’t going tochange.”
Onbeing 35 wins away from passing John McGraw, he said: “I’m aware of the historyof the game, but it wouldn’t be right to come back to manage just to move upone spot. It’s not something that motivates me.”
Ontelling the team after yesterday’s World Series rally: “I was encouraged thatsome grown men cried. I liked that, because they made me cry.”